Welcome to our exclusive panel discussion for International Women’s Day 2024 where Paralympian Ellie Simmonds, Gladiator Livi Sheldon (AKA Diamond), England Netball Captain Layla Guscoth and CEO of Women in Sport Stephanie Hilborne, chat to former Lioness and host of talkSPORT’s Women’s Football Show, Lianne Sanderson, about their career highs and lows and how we inspire the next generation of girls in sport.

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SHE’S one of the fearless and inspiring Gladiators impressing the nation on the hit BBC One show.

But 29-year-old Diamond - real name Livi Sheldon - has opened up about being cruelly bullied in school due to her height.

The now-6ft-tall athlete said that people would make hurtful comments about her appearance throughout her childhood.

However, instead of letting it get to her, it inspired her to become “strong and powerful”.

Addressing a panel at The Sun’s HQ in London on Wednesday ahead of International Women’s Day, the talented Gladiator revealed: “I was bullied all the way through school because of my height.

“But that made me want to be strong and powerful and look at me now.

“Would I have gotten into training had I not been bullied, who knows?”

She has previously opened up on social media about how bullying over her height pushed her to binge on pizza and chocolate for comfort.

"When I first started training it was to 'loose weight', the training was never a problem for me... it was the diet," she penned online.

"I struggled so many years with emotional eating, which I didn't realise at the time but I do now.

Read more: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/264...

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